HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Porter, E. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Porter, E. J.

Scales and Tales: Older Women's Difficulty With Daily Tasks

MU Sinclair School of Nursing, University of Missouri–Columbia.

Address correspondence to Dr. Eileen J. Porter, MU Sinclair School of Nursing, University of Missouri–Columbia, Columbia, MO 65211. E-mail: PorterEJ{at}missouri.edu

Objectives. Part of a 3-year study of the home care experience among 25 older women (aged 80–96), this research aimed to describe how the women understood difficulty relative to 20 basic and instrumental activity of daily living tasks.

Methods. This was a qualitative study with a quantitative component. During open-ended interviews about living alone with help, participants rated difficulty with tasks on a 1-to-5 scale and talked about difficulty relative to tasks. I estimated concordance of the first two ratings and used a descriptive phenomenological method to discern how participants understood difficulty.

Results. Concordance was satisfactory for all tasks other than climbing stairs. Six elements of the life-world of older women were descriptive of difficulty relative to tasks, including pinpointing my biggest/hardest job and having difficulty rating difficulty. Whether reporting difficulty or not, some women spoke of taking extra time, extra effort, or both.

Discussion. The findings suggest a counterview to functional limitation models. Difficulty was posed as a theoretical construct, and the concept of subliminal difficulty was introduced. Various facets of difficulty warrant further descriptive work. Incorporating an opportunity to talk about difficulty, as well as to rate it, would be valuable in large-scale studies.